Coin-controlled easy chair



Aug- 1, 1950 L. sTAcY ET AL 2,517,048

COINCONTROLLED EASY CHAIR Filed Oct. 29, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l 3a 6,2 Zzk A7u /f N l1 t 124 50 3 f 56 52 w 44 l 54 l I ln-I 54/ l" 1 .1' l 46 86 1 a d 132 56 I l 75. 88 l 0 o 6 6 -'r- G90 o 140 92 6 e 136 144 50 h I 3 e 4 a "v o 9a 5 1 NIW "H 7@ "A Il?" 64 A n l ""ml l '50 168 e 174 A24 172 12o 5 40 4 C)` o Q 270 2g 32 y O Q dZ2 fao im? 95 12208 4 *26 30 o o Vnl 114 zo e f zzn W I 'H o v hid" 106 f I H 2 20 .fla (16 96 [116 zzz lf2 ze' SWW/Molta Aug- 1, 1950 L sTAcY ET Al. 2,517,048

COIN-CONTROLLED EASY CHAIR Filed oct. 29, 194e 5 sheetsheet 2 fly 5 Z6 v I 264 116' f6 a THE/P 5734 cy Y /e/v/Usf//OL BROOK ug l, 1950 L. sTAcY i-:TAL 2,517,048

COIN-CONTROLLED EASY CHAIR Filed 061,. 29, 1946 `:5 Sheets-Shel??l 5 u THER LSTA CY fipa/14u55. H01; 3900K Patented Aug. I j 1950 UsInriaoV STATI? terrier or asizgagf f tf n Luther Staunen# Remus En Helbrbk, @romena Ka; saisllsiw assigner i .Seieittteele This invention relates `.to .coin controlledchars.

An object of the invention is to provide antunholstered chair having t coin. controlledV means whereby it may be` used only. .upon depositingJ coin therein.

Another Yobject ofthe inventionisutdprovide an easy chair the seat `of which is/tiltablegdownward for use from asubstantiallyverticaldockd position, upon deposit of a coin intoaseatzunlocking device.

Still anotherobject of the inventionis topfovide an upholstered .chair having coin controlled locking means, and, inrwhich the seatr is `automatically upraised i to locked position. when; a patron rises from the chain A further. object ofthelinventionis top rovide an upholstered .normally locked-chair ,having coin. controlled seat l unlocking means, said `chairbeing` further characterized bysimplicity of `design, inexpensiveness ,of A1manufactureu and effectiveness inoperation. p

Other objects and advantages otheinven tion! `will become apparent from .theffollowing .description of a preferred embodimentgthereopals illustrated l in i the acccmpaglyingI drawingg and in which,

Figure l is aleftside.erlevationC of ouriinproved easy chain the viewbeirlgsectioned to` show4` the interior construction, l

Figure 2 `is i a `right i-side elevation, Iof .the chair shown in Figure 1, the view bengsectionedto show the interior c;mstruction,A

Figure `3 is asectional Yelevatirm .talren` on y1li-ne 3? of,Figure l,

Figurel is anielevationtaken pnlinej-tof Figure l,` and partly broken out tosho'w thefponstruction,

Figure 5 .is a sectional elevationtakven on line 5--5 ofFigure 1,

Figure 6 is a sectional` planyiew; tagen Online body` o` fthe occ1ipantf A4 baci:` `cushion member l2 isafiied @Online freni face afuiabfalkfmlelr be. the 'Cuhi'eit balia suitably ,urhqlegedffw give it the necessary resiliency forbodily'coni- 4:11am. (China-naa forty as theuoceupants.: backt leans i against its forward surface ,|41

' l `The.ichairthasrfront and-rear lateral base rails I 6 and I8 as shown in Figurel,` thelatter rail being; attached to thebottom end portion 20 of the back member 10. `An intermediate lateral supportrail `22r and an upper lateral sup-portrail 24 are also attached to the back member lil Vabove the bottom rail I8 as shown, a plywood lateral ireartpanel .261 being nailed or otherwise attached to the three rails 8,` 22and 24; A iront upper lateral supportrail 28-is supported above the rail I6 between spaced parallel `upstanding panels 3D` and 32 which are carried by the lower rail `Il?.

LeitY and right upper side rails 34 are supe ported at theirends upon the upper lateral rails 28 and 24, thusfurnishinga support frame fora horizontal I'platform panel 36 which rests upon the framemembers asf shown so as to forma supportplatform for the chair seat 38 when in horizontal `seating position.H Vertical innerparallel side 4panels 40 aresecured against the inner verticalfaces or lthe left and right rails 34 and thelother adjacent portionsof the platform support'frame, thus forming left and right hollow chambers 42F beneath each chair arm for the installation of equipment for raising and lowering the seat 38 yaswill be further described below. As shown in Figure 5, it will be noted that the rails`34fare notas wide as the chamber 42; in order to allow operating cables and other devices to lpassfreely upwardand downward therepast.

Left Jand `righthchair arm rails i4` and 45-are secured'at theinupper rearward ends 48 tothe chair back rllq) in any `suitable manner, andhave their forward lower end vportions secured to lth'ehupper"front ylateral rai128, the arm rails being 1siitably Ycovered with padding 52 and outer fabric covering material :54. Upper inner panels 56A are?seafzure'd'l to the inner sides of the left `and right chair arms Aas shown, thus forming left and right upper chair arm chambers wbeloweach armlrail 44 and 46 respectively, the upper chambers communicating with the lower chambers 42 lpast the sides oi the rails 34.`

"The "upper 'inner panels 56 have arcuate slots 60`and`62 formed therein as illustrated. Leit and righty chair seat support brackets `(istanti `it havetheir horizontal legs 68 secured tothe rails 34 Hby bolts or screwspanld have bearing apertures 1li-formed in` their vertical legs "lZlfor the reception of pivot pins 'i4-the Shanks of whiehxalso extend through brackets 'lircarried on the side rails of the chair seat `38,@the seat beinglthus pitotallv supported along its `rearward lower-edge 82. The movable seat has a frame including front and rear lateral rails connected at their ends by left and right side rails, and is suitably upholstered and padded as at 82, and covered with fabric or the like. Guide pins 15 extend outward from the side rails 80 oi the seat, and into the guide slots 60 and 62 respectively.

It is apparent that the seat is thus tiltable from its upward or locked position as seen in full lines in Figure 1, downward counterclockwise to the substantially horizontal dotted line unlocked position shown in the same View. As will be described, mechanism is provided for moving the seat from locked to unlocked position upon deposit of a coin, and for moving it back to locked position when the occupant leaves the chair. As shown in Figure 1, there is a coin slot 84 with an aperture 86 for the reception of a coin in a plunger, the plunger being movable to the right so as to cause its right hand end 88 to bear against the toggle lever 90 of a toggle switch 92 secured to the side panel 56, as the coin drops into the chute 94, and into the coin box 96 therebelow. f

A pull cable 98 has one end attached to the left guide pin 'l5 shown in Figure 1 extends down through the upper and lower left side chambers below the left arm rail 66, around a pulley |80 mounted on a bracket |02 on side panel 40, thence around a second pulley |04, with the lower end |06 of the cable being secured to a point IES on a ratchet type pulley which is fast on the drive shaft H2 of a motor H4. The motor l i4 is supported on a bottom or floor panel ||6, and is powered by current derived from the power lines through a plug l l 8 connected through wires |20 and |22, the toggle switch 92 being interposed in wire |28 as shown, for making and braking the circuit to stop or start the motor..

When the motor l hl turns in a clockwise direction, it is apparent that the rope 98 will be pulled downward by the motor, tilting the seat 38 downward to substantially horizontal position upon the seat support platform 36. The seat is provided with a stud |24, which, as the seat approaches the horizontal position depresses the member 126, carried on the panel 56, thus depressing the lower end |28 of the switch opening cable |30, the upper end |32 of which is connected to the toggle lever 00, thus pulling the toggle lever counterclockwise to open the switch 02, thus stopping the seat lowering motor ll-l.

A rod ll is also attached at its left end to the toggle lever si?, and has its right hand end |36 connected to one arm |38 of a bell crank lever Mil which is pivotally mounted on a pin |82 carried on a bracket |40 secured to the panel 56. The other leg M56 of the lever |80 is pinned at |48 to a locking plunger |50 which is slidable to the left as seen in Figure 6 upon a pull of the rod |556 to move into a socket |52 in the seat rail 80. When the seat is in upraised position, this locks the seat against being moved downward until a coin is inserted into the receptacle 86 and the lever 88 moved against the toggle lever 90 to push the rod |136 to the right, withdrawing the locking plunger |56 from the socket, and unlocking the seat for downward movement.

.As seen in Figure 2, a pull cable |56 has one end attached to the right hand guide pin 15,

.ing motor |66 mounted on a floor panel ||6, the` motor being rotatable countcrclockwise to raise the seat from horizontal position to upstanding position as shown in full lines in Figure l. The motor is driven by power derived through wires |68 and |10 which through holes at |12 in the panels 40 and 42 and across the intervening space to be connected at junction box |14 to the wires |20 and |22 which lead to the inlet plug 8.

As seen in Figure 2, the switch |'is carried on panel 56 and is interposed in the power wire |10, so as to stop and start the motor |66. The

' toggle switch |16 is operated by means of a toggle lever |18 extending therethrough, the left hand end of the toggle lever |18 as seen in Figure 2, having the lower end of a pull cable |82 attached thereto, the cable extending over a pulley |84 attached to the panel 56. |The upper end of the cable E82 is attached to the distal end |86 of a motor stopping lever |88 pivoted at |90 to the panel 56. The spring |92 has its left end attached to the panel at |94 and its right end attached to the lever |88 so as to bias it in a counterclockwise direction, serving to normally maintain the toggle lever |18 of the switch in the full line or switch open position shown, that is, maintaining the `motor in stopped position.

A leaf spring |96 is attached at its right hand end as seen in Figures 2 and 7, to the guide pin 15 and is movable therewith, the spring projecting out to the left from the pin as seen in the views. Referring now to the right hand side of Figure 2 and to the view shown in Figure 4, it will be observed that one' or more coil springs |98-` `which rest upon the upper surface of the seat support platform'at `20|! near the front edge thereof, so as to furnish resilient upward support for the iront edge 202 of the'seat 38 when it is lowered by the motor l lll, the front edge of the seat being thus tilted or elevated about an inch above the platform when no one is sitting upon it. In reaching this position, the leaf spring |06 bears down against the other end 204 of the toggle switch |16,A turning it to open position, and stopping the motor i 68'. `When a person sits upon the seat, itis depressed further to rest upon the seat platform 200, causing the spring |66 to be carried downward with'its outstanding end sprung around the end of the toggle lever arm so as to come below the arm 20d.

Now, when the occupant of the seat gets up 'to leave the seat, the springs |98 elevate the seat about an inch, thus causing the leaf spring |96 to move upwards to the dotted line or closed circuit position, starting the motor |66, and causing the seat to be pulled upwards to its upraised position, where the locking plunger |50 in Figure 6 may enter the socket |52 to lock it in upraised position. When the leaf spring |96 is thus carried by the seat past the extension 206 of the lever |88, it causes the lever to be moved in counterclockwise direction about pivot |00, pulling on cable |82 to pull the toggle lever arm |18 in a clockwise direction and turning the switch |16 to open circuit position, stopping the motor |66.

It will thus be observed that our invention discloses a fully automatic coin operated easy chair which may be installed in railroad stations,

vwaiting rooms, trains, and other places for use materials and arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

We claim:

1. A coin controlled chair comprising a chair frame, a chair seat pivoted at its rear end on said chair frame, a rst pull cable having one end connected to a part of said seat forward of its pivot, a first motor having a ratchet pulley around which the other end of said iirst pull cable is wound whereby said seat is swung upwardly to a vertical nonusable position upon operation of said rst motor, said seat being formed with a locking socket, a locking bolt mounted on said chair frame, means on said chair frame operable by upward swinging of said seat for stopping said rst motor and projecting said bolt into said socket as said seat reaches its vertical position, a second pull cable having one end connected to a part of said seat forward of its pivot, a second motor having a ratchet pulley around which the other end of said second pull cable is wound whereby said seat can be swung downwardly to horizontal seating position upon retraction of said bolt and operation of said second motor, coin controlled means operable for retracting said bolt from said socket for releasing said seat to be swung downwardly from its vertical position and for starting said second motor, means operating between said seat and said chair frame for stopping said second motor as said seat reaches its f horizontal seating position.

2. A coin controlled chair comprising a chair frame, a chair seat pivoted at its rear end on said chair frame, a first pull cable having one end connected to a part of said seat forward of its pivot, a first motor having a ratchet pulley around which the other end of said rst pull cable is wound whereby said seat is swung upwardly to a vertical non-usable position upon operation of said first motor, said seat being formed with a locking socket, a locking bolt mounted on said chair frame, means on said chair frame operable by upward swinging of said seat for stopping said iirst motor and projecting said bolt into said socket as said seat reaches its vertical position, a second pull cable having one end connected to a part of said seat forward of its pivot, a second motor having a ratchet pulley around which the other end of said second pull cable is wound whereby said seat can be swung downwardly to horizontal seating position upon retraction of said bolt and operation of said second motor, coin controlled means operable for re-` tracting said bolt from said socket for releasing said seat to be swung downwardly from its vertical position and for starting said second motor, means operating between said seat and said chair frame for stopping said second motor as said seat reaches its horizontal seating position, and means conditioned for operation by the weight of a person sitting on said seat in its horizontal position and arranged to operate when the weight of such person is removed from the seat for starting said rst motor whereby said seat is swung upwardly to its vertical non-usable locked position.

3. A coin controlled chair comprising a chair frame, a seat pivoted on said chair frame to tilt from a vertical non-usable position to a horizontal seating position and return, a nrst motor, a first ratchet assembly including an endwise movable member operatively connected to said seat and to said rst motor whereby said seat is swung upwardly to its vertical non-usable position from its horizontal sitting position upon operation of said first lmotor and can be swung downwardly to its horizontal position from its vertical position independently of said first motor, a bolt socket on said seat, a bolt mounted on said chair frame, means on said chair frame operable by upward swinging of said seat ior stopping said nrst motor and projecting said bolt into said socket as said seat reaches its vertical position, a second motor, a second ratchet assembly including an endwise movable member operatively connected to said seat and to said second motor whereby said seat is swung downwardly from its vertical position to its horizontal sitting position upon operation of said second motor andretraction of said bolt from said socket, coin controlled means operable for retracting said bolt from said socket and starting said second motor, and means operating between said seat and said chairI frame for stopping said second motor as said seat reaches its horizontal seating position.

4. A coin controlled chair comprising a chair frame, a seat pivoted on said chair frame to tilt from a vertical non-usable position to a horizontal seating position and return, a iirst motor, a rst ratchet assembly including an endwise movable member operatively connected to said seat and to said iirst motor whereby said seat is swung upwardly to its vertical non-usable position from its horizontal sitting position upon operation of said rst motor and can be swung downwardly to its horizontal position from its vertical position independently of said rst motor, a bolt socket on said seat, a bolt mounted on said chair frame, means on said chair frame operable by upward swinging of said seat for stopping said rst motor and projecting said bolt into said socket as said seat reaches its vertical position, a second motor, a second ratchet assembly including an endwise movable member operatively connected to said seat and to said second motor whereby said seat is swung downwardly from its vertical position to its horizontal sitting position upon operation of said second motor and retraction of said bolt from said socket, coin controlled means operable for retracting said bolt from said socket and starting said second motor, and means operating between said seat and said chair frame for stopping said second motor as said seat reaches its horizontal seating position, and means conditioned for operation by the weight of a person on said seat and operable by subsequent removal of the weight of such person from said seat for starting said i-lrst motor for returning said seat to its vertical nonusable and locked position.

LUTHER, STACY. REMUS E. HOLBROOK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,630,932 Friedrck May 21, 192'? 2,440,231 Davidson Apr. 20, 1948 

